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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25654615">Before Penn Station</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Red_R00kie/pseuds/Red_R00kie'>Red_R00kie</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Prototype (Video Games)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Blackwatch, F/M, M/M, blacklight - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 02:21:12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>10,253</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25654615</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Red_R00kie/pseuds/Red_R00kie</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It all started at Penn Station...............or did it?<br/>Alex J. Mercer: The killer. The monster. The terrorist. That's what the world has labeled him but what if there was someone who knew differently? Someone who was there from the beginning.<br/>Gwendolyn Graveston was her name and this is her story.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alex Mercer &amp; Dana Mercer, Alex Mercer/Original Female Character(s), Dana Mercer &amp; Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h3>Prologue</h3><p>"Do you regret it?<br/>
"......"<br/>
The man before me was silent, lost in the chaos around us. Buildings were being quickly destroyed by fires, the sky was dark and foreboding from the smoke, and the screams of the innocent filled the air making my skin crawl. This was once our home, streets filled with cars and lively people going about their daily business.<br/>
Then came the outbreak and after 12 days Manhattan is nothing but a hunting ground for the infected.<br/>
I looked at the man in front of me, back facing me as he stared out at the destruction we caused. Alex J. Mercer was his name.<br/>
People called him a killer.<br/>
A monster.<br/>
A terrorist.<br/>
And maybe they were right, but what did they know?<br/>
I noticed Alex's tense state and slowly walked towards him. Letting my arm wrap around his waist, I leaned into his back allowing my presence to calm him. We were overlooking Times Square, military personnel were frantically running around. "What's wrong?" I asked. A quiet growl escaped Alex's mouth, "Greene has to die." I hummed in agreement and hugged him tighter. “We both knew that had to happen darling. Want to try again?” </p>
<p>Silence.</p>
<p>"Dana is safe, you know that right?" He scoffs.<br/>
“She’s in a coma.”<br/>
“But she is safe.” I stressed, “Think on the positives babe. It’ll make this shitty world look a tiny bit better.”<br/>
Turning around, he tucks my head under his chin and hugs me close to his chest.<br/>
"I'm scared Gwen. I feel like I am going to lose you again and, even now with my powers, there will be nothing I can do."<br/>
I pulled my head from his chest to meet his eyes, those beautiful stormy eyes filled with sadness and confliction. I gave him a small smile and gently kissed his lips.<br/>
"Never again." I promised gently stroking his cheek.<br/>
He smiled fondly at me. "Look how far we've come," Alex chuckled and I smiled, “Two stubborn and intelligent dorks who meet and fall in love before releasing Hell on Manhattan. Sounds cliche doesn't it?" I asked in a teasing voice. He flashed me a sly smirk, "If I remember correctly, you ran in late and accidentally poured coffee on me, now who's being cliche?"<br/>
I rolled my eyes, "I also remember you yelling at me.”<br/>
“You yelled right back."<br/>
“And then I shot your ego.” I sassed. He let out a loud laugh and bumped our foreheads together. Sighing in his embrace, I turned to look out on the ruined city. Memories of the events that led us here danced through my mind and for a moment; I let them take me.<br/>
Take me back to when it all began.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. First meetings=Altercations</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Gwen arrives at Gentek hoping to make a good impression. Unfortunately she meets someone who dashes that hope.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>1 year before: 2007<strong></strong></strong>
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<p>"Here you are Miss Graveston. Your ID and security pass, your office is on level 7. The project brief is at 2:45, on level 9; room 506."<br/>
I nodded to the security guard and walked through the metal detectors and surveyed the lobby before me.<br/>
To think just a mere two days ago I was in a small Gentek facility in Tule Valley, Utah, head of the most ambitious division of genetic coding. Then came the letter and I was being moved to Manhattan.<br/>
I eyed the armed guards with mild interest and continued my way to the elevators. "7th floor," I muttered to myself pushing the button and watched the doors close. This was almost nerve wrecking.<br/>
I took out the letter from my bag and read it over again.</p>
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  <em>Miss Gwendolyn Graveston,<br/>
Let me be the first to say thank you for your countless years of service and loyalty. The work from you and your team has had a tremendous part in our recent endeavors.<br/>
I have been observing your progression and can say that I am pleasingly astounded. I feel that you will be an excellent addition to an upcoming project that could quite possibly change the world.<br/>
We are calling it, PROJECT BLACKLIGHT.<br/>
There will be a private plane ready for you in two days time. When you arrive, you will be escorted to the building and be given the necessary items. Your personal belongings will be taken to a lovely apartment Gentek has provided for you.<br/>
I eagerly await your arrival.<br/>
Dr. McMullen<em></em></em>
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<p>I sighed and shook my head, good ol' Gentek. Never one to ask.<br/>
The elevator dinged and opened. Startled, I quickly shoved the paper back in my satchel and walked out.<br/>
A sign greeted me, to my right were 3 labs and 2 virtual/holographic rooms, and to my left were the offices. I walked down the brightly lit hallway and read the names on the doors.<br/>
There were eight offices in total. Two were vacant. Five were filled and my door was at the end of the hallway.</p>
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  <strong>G. Graveston</strong>
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<p>I smiled and pushed the door open. It was a large office, big enough to fit a few people in here. Soft carpeting, a large blackboard hung on one side of the room. Across from it were sturdy selves and a lovely "L" shaped mahogany desk that sat in front of a floor to ceiling window with a fantastic view of the city.<br/>
I whistled in awe thinking back to my old office, "Definitely better than a basement."<br/>
I rushed over to get a better look, Manhattan was so big and busy it made me giddy and excited. Definitely different from the silent, sand covered hills. I looked at my watch and saw that it was 2:15 now.<br/>
"Okay, if I leave now I can get to the meeting early. That will look professional." I stated, looking at a window reflection of myself and fixing my red hair. I turned to leave, but stopped when I noticed something bright red. I turned to look and nearly drooled.<br/>
Sitting on the desk next to the wall, was a brand new coffee machine with a bow on top. Next to it was a bag of six o'clock dark Italian brew. After a 10 hour flight, with no breakfast or lunch, my mind swayed at the option of a nice warm cup of coffee.<br/>
"One cup couldn't hurt."</p>
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<p>*******************************</p>
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<p>*ding*</p>
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<p>"I am such an idiot. " I hissed to myself, my mind yelling at me for being late, and glanced at the sign. </p>
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  <strong> &lt; Rooms 500-510<br/>
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  <strong>Rooms 511-520 &gt;</strong>
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<p>I made a quick left and frantically searched for the right room.<br/>
Unknown to me, there was another person occupying the hallway, coming from the other end. They too were also going to the same room as me, but were currently busy reading over papers, and not paying attention.<br/>
Neither was I.<br/>
A few seconds later, I collided with a larger figure, which sent me backwards and spilled my coffee.<br/>
"Fuck! " Came an outraged cry, a 'thunk' signaled that I had run into a person and they too had fallen. Great.<br/>
"God, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to--"<br/>
"What kind of imbecile are you!"<br/>
Wait, what?<br/>
I snapped my head to the voice of a man about my age, wearing a white lab coat. He had short but shaggy brown hair, and pale skin but, what really got me were his hypnotic grey eyes...........that were looking at me in extreme anger.<br/>
"What?"<br/>
"You heard me! What kind of imbecile walks into people with hot coffee!"<br/>
I stared at this man in shock. How dare he!<br/>
"Well excuse me for being in a rush, but I believe I wasn't the only imbecile being distracted at the moment." I growled at him gesturing to the scattered papers now on the floor. He scoffed and glared at me. I returned it. "And second of all, no one with hot coffee walks into a person on purpose!"<br/>
The guy grumbled something and got up, "What was that?" I asked him and got up as well. There was the faint sound of a door opening.<br/>
"I said, I didn't know janitors were allowed on this level."<br/>
My brain short-circuits for a second. Janitor? Oh, oh no. Fuck Mr. Pretty Eyes.<br/>
"And I didn't know Gentek allowed their lab rats to roam around."<br/>
Shock flashes across his face, before he covers it with a snarl, "Lab rat?! Why you---"<br/>
"Excuse me?"<br/>
"WHAT!!" We cried and turned to the voice</p>
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<p>Dr. McMullen, with an amused smile, stood in an open doorway. Behind him were several people sitting at a table. All a mixture of amazement, question, and horror on their faces.<br/>
Dr. McMullen chuckled, "May I ask what is going on?"<br/>
"This imbecile ran into me with a cup of coffee. "<br/>
"That pompous man wasn't looking where he was going. "<br/>
"And this explains why you two were late because?"<br/>
My mouth opened to defend myself but nothing came out. The fault was on me on that one.<br/>
I heard nothing from the other guy, so I could only assume he was in the same boat.<br/>
"Well, I understand that you two have been busy recently, so I think we can forgive this little skirmish." He said sweetly.<br/>
The words were forgiving but the tone said, ‘Never let it happen again.’<br/>
"I can assure you Dr. McMullen, it won't happen again." I told him, the guy beside me grunted, "I agree."<br/>
Dr. McMullen appeared happy with this and gestured between us, "Excellent! And I just briefed everyone on you two. Alex Mercer, this is Gwendolyn Graveston. She will be heading the Genetic section of Project Blacklight. Miss Graveston, this is Alex Mercer. The head researcher of the project."<br/>
My eyes widened in shock, as Alex Mercer sent a sly glance my way.<br/>
"I am sure you both will be seeing each other a lot. Now come, we have much to talk about."<br/>
Dr. McMullen turned and walked back into the room. We stood there for a moment, before Mercer spoke, "I look forward to seeing your reports on my desk."<br/>
I glanced at him, before taking his hand and smiling, "Oh the pleasure is all mine Dr. Mercer. I've heard all about your work!" I praised in a sickly sweet voice.<br/>
His eyes seemed to perk at this.<br/>
"Not." I smirked, ripping my hand from his and walking into the room. Was it childish? Yes. Was the look on Mercer’s face worth it? Yes.</p>
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<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Getting No Where</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>So my first meeting with Alex Mercer was not on pleasant terms. Nor anytime after that. In the end we decided that our interactions in the office would range from a civil nod to a few mildly scathing remarks.<br/>
It's been four months, during that time I had met and familiarised myself with my crew and we immediately began working on the Blacklight Project.</p><p>Gentek dealt with most viral pandemics. The Blacklight Project’s goal was to study and create a new virus that could potentially eradicate global diseases; like cancer. My role was to see if any of the new viral strains responded to certain genetics and to report any and all findings. However, the past few months have yielded no results. Most were easily fought or died off within a few months.    </p><p>It was becoming tiresome.</p><p>I rubbed my eyes and leaned back against my chair. "Can somebody please email Mitchell from the research department and tell him, no I am not able to create dinosaurs and even if I could, I have no free time to do it because some of us are trying to do their job!"<br/>
I heard a few chuckles and a quick 'I got it' from a few doors down.<br/>
There was a ping from my computer and I opened it. "Got another one!" I yelled getting up and making my way down the hall to the holographic room.</p><p>I entered the room, along with my team Claudia, Tyler, Nicolas, Rebecca, and Quin. "Tyler can you turn on the generator please?" A younger man with blonde hair nodded and flipped a red switch. A soft hum echoed throughout the room, and the lights dimmed.<br/>
"Everyone, put on your gloves. " I said, putting mine on, I watched as everyone secured the equipment to their hands. The gloves were highly sensitive to the rays used in the holographic interactive system. We can mix, adjust, replace, or change any image that projects from the system.<br/>
"Alright, light it up Claudia!" I smiled. Claudia, a sweet Italian brunette, smirked and nodded. Switching on the system, a bright light from the ceiling cascaded down onto the floor along with images of different DNA strands and the images of a human male and female. Quin, a southern fella with dirty blonde hair, began to read from the email. "Okay, we have four this time. A strand from the Mothious virus, three years back. One from that disease that struck Hawaii, seven years back. The Decitious sickness a year ago. And finally a strand from the Octavius virus. Well what do we think of this concoction?"<br/>
Nicolas snorted and shook his head, "They're not even trying anymore."<br/>
I sighed, "It won't work."<br/>
"What do you mean?" Claudia asked, I shook my head, "All of these are relatively new strands of DNA, and never really lasted long. The base will simply die out. Not to mention it only targeted weak immune systems." To prove my point, I flicked a few strands together and we watched as a scenario played out on the human images.<br/>
The strand died in under four months. We tried another scenario, using only two. Same results. We then took components out of the strands and tried to make something new. Another failure.<br/>
Weariness overtook me and I glanced at the clock.</p><p>Forty-five minutes after nine.</p><p>I clapped my hands together, "Ladies and gentlemen, it seems that we are not going to get anywhere tonight. I suggest we all go home and get some sleep." Everyone made a collective sigh of relief and quickly made their way out.<br/>
I shut down the system, closed the door behind me and walked to my office.</p><p>"Night Gwen. "</p><p>"See you in the morning!"</p><p>"Ciao Gwen," Claudia smiled at me as she, Tyler and Quin left, "Night guys, be safe!"<br/>
"We'll wait for you Gwen." Rebecca said to me as she and Nicolas walked to the elevators. "Thanks, I'm just going to lock up." She nodded.<br/>
I quickly walked to my office, grabbed my satchel and a few files then locked up.<br/>
True to her word, Rebecca and Nicolas were standing at an open elevator. We walked into it and waited for the doors to close.<br/>
Rebecca, Nicolas and I became friends the moment we met. They were siblings, twin siblings. Green eyes, light colored skin, and black hair, they were nearly the same height! But Nicolas had more muscle, and Rebecca was....well.....Rebecca was 4 months pregnant.<br/>
"Any new developments?" I asked Rebecca and she shook her head, "No, but the doctor said it was okay for me to do a water birth this time around."<br/>
"Oh that's wonderful Rebecca, I've read that it is much easier on the mother." Rebecca nodded and sighed, "Yes, we will have to do it in Nicolas's bathroom since it is more spacious and can hold more water. I just don't want Eliza barging in." Eliza was Rebecca's five year old daughter, a cute little thing. I've watched her a couple of times when Rebecca had to bring her to the office.<br/>
"Well I'll be there. Nicolas your boyfriend will be there too right?" A quick nod confirmed it, "I'm sure one of us will be happy to keep her busy while the whole thing is going on. "<br/>
Rebecca smiled and nodded.</p><p>As we neared the third floor the elevator began to slow before coming to a stop. The metal doors slid open to reveal a very tired looking Dr. Mercer. His eyes widened a fraction but he shook himself and entered the elevator. Nicolas glared at the man and pulled his sister closer, I rolled my eyes at the action, “Dr. Mercer.” I acknowledged. He nodded to me then began looking over some papers.<br/>
The elevator descended once more and I couldn’t help but glance at Mercer. His body was tense, his face pale, and it seemed that his hands were shaking a little.<em>“Stress.”</em> My mind supplied. Glancing up, I saw on dark circles under his eyes,<em>“And sleep deprived.”</em> I shook my head, that’s not healthy. “Ah…..” I began but stopped. Why was I concerned? Yeah he is my boss but he’s an adult, he can take care of himself.<br/>
“If you’ve got something to say Dr.Graveston say it.” He snapped in a ruff tone. “It was nothing, I was just lost in thought.” He huffed. "If you are leaving for the night then I assume you tested the new strands?" He asked. I sighed, "It didn’t work."<br/>
"What?" He growled and I shot him a glare, "Dr. Mercer, the samples were too recent, created from a lab, and died out within a year. I believed that I explained to you in my last email, that more natural diseases would work better."</p><p>He sighed and pinched his nose, "Dr. Graveston I do not have time to read emails. Maybe next time you should come and tell me these things so that we don't waste time. " He patronized. I felt myself bristle. The doors opened and we stepped out onto the floor.<br/>
"Well then maybe you should tell some of your people to stop emailing me stupid questions."<br/>
"Excuse me? " He asked and I laughed, "Oh, you didn't know? Mitchell seems convinced that I create dinosaurs in my free time." I told him, finally reaching my door.<br/>
"Fucking idiot," I heard him mutter darkly.<br/>
I glanced at him, I may not like the guy but he looked close to breaking down, "Dr. Mercer are you alright?" I asked, he shot me and icy glare, "I am fine Dr. Graveston." He stated. The elevator finally opened and we all departed, Mercer made a bee-line for a set of doors and then disappeared. Rebecca huffed, “Sociable, isn’t he?” I chuckled, however I couldn’t take my eyes off the set of doors that Mercer disappeared through. There was something nagging at me, worrying me. Was Mercer really alright?</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Break Through</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Once Rebecca, Nicolas, and I exited Gentek, we said our goodbyes and left for our respective homes. Normally I would take a cab to and from work since my apartment was about ten blocks from the Gentek building but it was surprisingly cool for August. Deciding to take advantage of the cool air, I started the long trek home. People were still bustling about, hanging out with friends or walking with loved ones. It was peaceful.</p><p>I finally made it to my building and headed in, "Evening Cliff, " I saluted to an old gentleman sitting behind the desk, "Evenin' Miss Gwen, late night again? "<br/>
"Afraid it's going to be like that for awhile Cliff." I replied sighing, he chuckled and I continued to the elevators.<br/>
<em>"Hmm, I wonder what's in the fridge, I still have that pimento cheese sandwich,"</em> I thought to myself, my stomach rumbling in agreement. The doors slid open to reveal the cream colored walls of my floor. As I traveled down the hallway I noticed that my neighbor had still yet to grab his mail. Mail that was piling out of his box and spilling onto the floor.<br/>
“Really Mercer,” I huffed out, setting my bag by my door. I gathered all the envelopes from the floor then proceeded to pull the ones from his box out; organizing the stack and shoving them all back in. Noticing the date on one I sighed, “And he’s sleeping at the office again. Someone knows how to take care of themselves.” </p><p>Grabbing my bag, I unlocked my door and stepped inside. Quickly slipping off my heels I let out a sigh of relief. Why Gentek made heels a mandatory thing I’ll never know. Hanging my jacket on a hook I went to the kitchen and began fixing my dinner.</p><p>I had received a spacious apartment from Gentek. A large living room with a connected kitchen and a small space off to the side with a table for family or guests in front of large windows. A hallway connecting from the living room led to a spare bathroom/laundry room and my bedroom. My bedroom had a king sized bed, walk-in closet, and a spacious bathroom. Not a bad place.<br/>
Feeling the need to sleep creeping in, I finished my sandwich and walked to my room. Changing into a tank and some shorts, I quickly brushed my teeth and hopped into bed, I was too tired to do anything else. As sleep began to wash over me, my thoughts returned to earlier events with Mercer. I don’t know why but his demeanor worried me. I know we don’t exactly see eye to eye but at this rate the man was going to kill himself! For what it was worth, Mercer was a brilliant scientist. Confident, stead-fast and stubborn. He knew how to run things and at this point in the project, we need someone who knows what he’s doing.   </p><p>***************</p><p>
  <strong>Thunk</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Thunk</strong>
</p><p>What?</p><p>
  <strong>Thunk</strong>
</p><p>Groggily I reached for my phone and checked the time.</p><p> Two o’clock. I groaned.</p><p>At first, I dismissed it as the pipes or something and tried to return to sleep but every now and then I would hear it again along with something else.. Listening closely, I noticed that the sounds were coming from across the hall. “Mercer.” I growled, rolling over and throwing a pillow over my head. </p><p>
  <strong>CRASH</strong>
</p><p>I shot up from my bed. My mind registered the sound of glass breaking and it didn’t seem like it was stopping anytime soon. Jumping out of my bed I quickly put on a robe, some slippers and raced out of my apartment to Mercer's.<br/>
The sounds hadn't stopped and I began banging on the door, "Dr. Mercer! " I cried, worried that something bad had happened.<br/>
There was no answer.<br/>
I was scared now, I tried the door handle and found that it wasn't locked. I took a breath, threw the door open and stared at utter chaos.</p><p>"What the hell are you doing!" I yelled.</p><p>Inside, was an apartment with the same layout as mine but it was almost like a tornado had come through.<br/>
Papers were everywhere, books were thrown around the place, a few pots and pans were out, pillows were laid up against the walls, there were glass pieces everywhere, and several other things seemed to be disturbed. In the middle of all this chaos, was the good Doctor himself. Huffing and puffing, and..........staring at me.<br/>
I shivered at the look he was giving me, like a wild beast.</p><p>"......get...out. " He growled.</p><p>I stood there, too shocked to move. It was like I was cemented to his floor. This obviously angered him and his gaze turned ferocious, <strong>"I said GET OUT!"</strong> He seethed stomping to me. Fear overtook me as he stalked closer, he was so angry, what was he going to do? My mind begged me to move but I couldn’t. Why couldn’t I move?<br/>
Mercer was on me in a second, staring down at me. His hand clasping my wrist tightly, like really fucking tight. It hurt!  </p><p>
  <strong>SMACK</strong>
</p><p>I watched as Mercer’s head whipping to the side and a shocked expression grew on his face.<br/>
There was a little space between us now, I had taken a step back. His hand still gripping my wrist but less painful now. My hand was stretched out and the stinging sensation finally clued me in. I had slapped Mercer. I just slapped Alex Mercer.<br/>
Mercer slowly turned his face back to me and we stared at one another, we stayed like that for what seemed like ages, simply staring and blinking.<br/>
The sound of an elevator broke me out of my trance and I turned to see Cliff walk out, he saw me and stopped, "Everything alright Miss Gwen?" I nodded and began pushing Mercer back into his apartment, "Everything is fine Cliff, I'll handle this. Sorry for the noise." He nodded and returned back into the elevator, I went into Mercer's apartment and shut the door behind me.<br/>
I turned to find Mercer still staring at me with that same shocked expression and I glared at him, “Let go of my wrist.” Blinking owlish at me he slowly loosed his grip and then completely let go. Relief swept through my body before it was replaced by rage. "I don't know what is going on with you," I told him, grabbing his hand and leading him to the kitchen, "But don’t you ever come at me like that again." I hissed.<br/>
I tried to be careful of the glass but Mercer seemed to not care, I winced as he stepped on a few pieces. When we got to the kitchen, I grabbed him a glass of water and shoved it into his hand, "Drink all of it. " I commanded, and started to clean up the mess he had made.</p><p>Every few minutes or so, I would glance at Mercer out of the corner of my eye to make sure he was drinking the water. He was still staring at me but he was drinking it.<br/>
I had managed to clean up most of the glass, pots, pillows, and put the papers on his dining table when I noticed an email on his computer.<br/>
It was from Dr. McMullen. He was informing Mercer about the impatiens from members of the board. They were going to speed up the deadline, if we don’t give them something by the end of the month then the project will be terminated. We haven’t even conducted a proper test yet!<br/>
I glanced up at Mercer, seeing the form of a tired man staring at his countertop. The stress and sleep deprivation I saw earlier was beginning to make sense..</p><p>I closed the computer and walked over to him.<br/>
He looked lost. Judging by the state of some things, Mercer hadn't even had a decent night's sleep in weeks, and with the time crunch it must have been eating at him. I crossed my arms and gave him a once over, trying to figure out what to do with him.<br/>
My first thought was sleep but then I remembered the glass, "Do you have any tweezers?" I asked him quietly.</p><p>No answer came.</p><p>I tsked and looked around. Walking over to the drawers and cabinets, I began searching.<br/>
"Ah!" I cheered when I found a pair. Grabbing his hand again, I led him to his couch and sat him down so that his back rested up against the arm rest and his feet stretched across the couch. I raised his feet up and sat down, then rested them on my legs.<br/>
"Don’t." Mercer weakly commanded when he saw the tweezers near his feet. I gave him a droll look "You stepped on glass. That cuts you and can get lodged in your skin." As if to prove my point, I pulled a long piece from his heel and he winced.<br/>
"If I don’t get them out now you’ll be in more pain later." Pulling another piece out, I saw Mercer grip the couch and release a pained hiss. I felt a twinge of guilt, then pulled out the next piece gently to hopefully lessen the pain. Tension slowly dissipated from him, Mercer met my eye and nodded. I returned the action and kept looking, pulling pieces as I went.<br/>
It was quiet between us. I picked glass from Mercer’s foot, only getting up once to find some disinfectant and bandages after finding several cuts on his feet and legs. Mercer just sat there and took it. Never saying a word, every now and then I would see him wince or sigh.</p><p>Finally, Mercer gave a long sigh and leaned his head back onto the armrest. Glancing at him, I decided now would be a good time to talk about what I saw.<br/>
"So a month, huh?" Mercer nodded.<br/>
“Do they even understand that we’ve gone through just about every sample we have?”<br/>
He let out an exasperated sigh, “They don’t care. They want it now and they want it perfect.” I snorted at that, nothing is ever perfect. "Well, looks like my team and I will have to start digging into other fields. There must be something."<br/>
"What?" He asked, giving me a confused look. I shrugged, “I have a buddy who works at Gentek’s secondary storage unit. He can send me a list of what we don’t have and--”<br/>
“No, why?” He cut me off.<br/>
“Why what?”<br/>
“Why would you help me?” He finally asked.<br/>
I looked back down, "I didn't come back home to be a part of a project, just to see it wither and die over a time crunch. I'm curious on how this will all end."<br/>
He nodded but he still had this look on his face, “No one ever offers me help.” My heart sunk a little at his admission and I took a breath, “To be fair you are a little intimidating and kind of an ass.” He sent me a glare.<br/>
“But……” I added, “You are an amazing scientist and you play a huge part in one of the biggest projects Gentek has to date. It’s okay to go and ask for help.” Putting the last band aid down I looked over my work and leaned back feeling satisfied. "I personally don't handle people well. Well, except my team. Rebecca, one of my members, is pregnant and I don’t want her around the chemicals all day so I let her handle that stuff." He looked at me funny, "You do that?"<br/>
"Yeah, delegating. It's the best thing ever."<br/>
He hummed.<br/>
“What is your team even doing? After the last email I got, I feel like their just fucking around.” He groaned, “I don’t even know. I haven’t been able to do much of anything lately, always talking with members of the board and answering whatever stupid question they have for me. Maybe I need to hire a PA.” I chuckled, “Definitely something to consider.”<br/>
Mercer sat up, “I did learn one thing today.” I raised a brow at him, “You were right. Older, more natural strains are more likely to be a stronger base.”<br/>
"An oldie is a goodie" I replied sagely. I heard him chuckle and continued, "No really. Viruses or diseases that are more natural born hardly ever die out. They just adapt. The common cold, it's been around for centuries and everyone has caught it at least once."<br/>
Mercer hummed, "Yeah, that would make sense but it’s too common and you can go home down some cough syrup, go to sleep, and you’ll be fine in the morning." I nodded in understanding, "True, but it can be a great stabilizer. Pair that with some mad scientist’s wet dream and you’ve got a virus that’ll destroy another virus."<br/>
Mercer laughed, a small quiet one. But a laugh nonetheless, it made him seem more relaxed. I think this is the first real and decent conversation we've had.<br/>
Even if it is at two-something in the morning.<br/>
We continued to talk, bouncing ideas off of one another. Letting the conversation go from work to other things. Interests, hobbies, and projects we’ve worked on in the past. A comforting atmosphere settled over us and I soon began to drift, nodding off at certain points.</p><p>I was about to fall asleep, when Mercer suddenly jumped up, "That's it!" I squeaked in surprise. He grabbed my shoulders and looked me dead in the eye, "Several years ago Gentek did some experiments in a small town, somewhere in Idaho I think, it created a virus, an intelligent virus. But it was too unstable, so they killed it before it could get out of hand. There is a strand that they saved!"<br/>
"Wait, if it was so unstable that they had to destroy it, why save it? And what do you mean intelligent?"<br/>
He shook his head, “I’m not sure but there might be a way to stabilize the strand so we can study it.”<br/>
“And how will we do that?” I asked incuriously.<br/>
"Your common cold might just do the trick.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. This Can Work</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I stared at Alex in disbelief. My common cold; what was he talking about? I watched as he rushed off down a hallway to, what I assumed was, his room. I heard the sound of water running and then his voice yelled out, “Go get dressed quickly and then meet me by the elevator.” Still lost I called back, “Why? Where are we going?”<br/>"We are going to Gentek."<br/>"Right now?!"<br/>"Right now."<br/>"But I'm in my pj's!" I cried. <br/>"Yes I know that. Go put on some clothes and join me by the elevators!” He commanded. I huffed at his tone but jumped up and raced into my apartment. I put on a pair of jeans, a Star Wars t-shirt and a pair of vans. I then went into my bathroom brushed my cherry red hair, braided it, brushed my teeth, and applied some mascara. <br/>I grabbed my keys and headed out the door, locking it just as Mercer was getting out of his apartment. He was dressed in jeans, some black shoes and a red shirt that read: <br/><strong> ‘I’m A Ten. -Pretty Basic-’.</strong><br/>I was shocked for a moment, I’d never seen Mercer in casual clothes. The tee shirt and jeans revealed a more muscular torso that had been hidden under a baggy lab coat. A stray thought crossed my mind and I felt myself blush,<em> “He looks good.”</em> Ducking my head I approached him, “Nice shirt.” <br/>He rolled his eyes, "Come on, we'll take the stairs." I groaned but followed. <br/>When we reached the main level, Mercer raced out of the lobby and into the warm morning air. I waved at Cliff as I raced by, "Bye Cliff! Have a good morning!"<br/>He slowly waved to me and I got out, Mercer already across the street trying to flag down a cab.<br/>"Mercer slow the fuck down!" I yelled, gaining the attention of a few people. Mercer turned around and motioned for me to hurry up, "Move it Graveston!" I grumbled in annoyance and jogged up to him, "I just pulled glass out of your foot, how the fuck are you running?" <br/>He chuckled at that, "Sorry, the idea just hit me and I don't want to waste any time."<br/>I waved him off as we entered the cab.  <br/>"By the way," I started as the taxi began moving, "When we’re in public, just call me Gwen. Less of a mouthful." I said to him. Mercer nodded and stuck out his hand, "Deal, and you may call me Alex. You sound pissed off when you say my last name." I smirked at him and shook his hand, "Deal."</p>
<p>By the time we got to Gentek it was now four in the morning, barely anyone was there. We got into the elevator and Mer--Alex, pressed the button for his floor. I have never seen Alex like this, so giddy and excited. The elevator dinged and slid open. Mercer bolted out then made a right for his office, I lagged behind to look at everything. I never really came up here, I normally sent someone else up if I was too busy or I just don’t feel like dealing with Alex that particular day.<br/>There were a few more offices on his floor than on mine but the layout was pretty much the same. Up ahead Alex poked his head out of an office, “You coming?” He asked in an amused tone, I rolled my eyes, “Shut up, I’m coming.”<br/>I entered his office, which was larger than mine but most open spaces were covered with papers and various graphs. “I really hope you didn’t bring me here to help you clean your office,” I drawled and watched my footing so I wouldn’t step on anything important, “I will be very upset.” He shot me an unamused look, “No Gwen, I did not bring you here at three in the morning to pick up some papers.” Alex glanced around his office, “But I do apologize for the mess.” I shrugged, ”Nothing too horrible.” <br/>He hummed and started typing on his computer, “I brought you here to help me get permission to use the virus I mentioned.” <br/>“Why do you need permission?”<br/>Alex stopped what he was doing and slowly leaned back, staring off, he squinted at the air as if it would provide the answer. He sighed, “The military wasn’t very keen with the project, or the fact that Gentek saved a sample. They wanted the whole thing to disappear, so when they discovered that there was a surviving sample they took it and now claim full jurisdiction over it.” Alex began typing once more, “If we can convince McMullen that we can stabilize the sample then he and the directors can persuade the military to hand the sample back over to us.”   <br/>“And if we don’t?” I asked.<br/>“Then the board and military aren’t going to get their virus anytime soon.”<br/>I sighed, yeah that will get the ball rolling. I walked behind Alex to see him searching through some of Gentek’s documents.</p>
<p>“I’m going to send you an email with a description of the virus, do you think you could find enough evidence to prove my theory?” Alex asked. I begrudgingly nodded, “You’re gonna have to be as descriptive as possible for me to figure it out.” He nodded. I began to make my way out of his office when I heard Alex speak up, “Where are you going?” <br/>“To my office?” I replied, turning to him. He hummed, then got up and motioned for me to follow him.<br/>We walked out of his office and a couple of doors down. He stopped in front of one room then flicked on the lights. Inside was a holographic interactive system. “You can sign in here,” Alex gestured to a computer, “I’ll send the email in a few minutes.” He walked out and left me to my own devices.</p>
<p>I got to work immediately booting up the computer. Once that was done and I logged in, I turned to the holographic machine and started that up. Coming back to the computer, I began searching through my old files. Back when I first started my degree, I did an extensive study on the common cold. It was one of the reasons Gentek became interested in me.<br/>Once I found the file, I sent an image of the Rhinovirus, the most common virus associated with the common cold, genetic strain to the machine. Noticing that I still had not received an email from Mercer, I yelled, “I’m ready!”<br/>I heard Alex murmur something and then a notification appeared on the computer. “Thank you!” I yelled and began looking over the documents. Sadly most of the writing in documents were crossed out: names, codes, numbers, and dates. However, tests and results weren’t completely erased. I found two documents in particular that began to give me some insight into the mysterious virus. One document described an experiment with chimpanzees. The test revealed positive and beneficial results. Increase in intelligence, strength, and rapid cellular regrowth. “So where did it all go wrong?” I asked myself.</p>
<p>The second document answered my question. The next test subject was on humans, and boy were there a lot of subjects. I read over the material carefully, taking down notes, and trying to understand the symptoms.<br/>“Find anything?”<br/>I jumped, “Fuck dude!” I turned to find Alex raising his hands and taking a step back, “Warn a gal next time.” He smirked, “I’ll knock. What did you find?” Sighing I turned back to the computer, “Something concerning. Remember how you told me that the experiment took place in Hope?” He nodded, stepping closer to me to look at the screen.</p>
<p>“Most of the information in the documents were crossed out. I’m pretty sure a few documents are just black lines.” Alex huffed, “Fucking military.”</p>
<p>“Blackwatch.”</p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p>“This was a Blackwatch project. A branch of the military that is so secret, the military doesn’t even know what they do.” Alex raised a brow at me and I shrugged, “We had a retired Blackwatch member as one of our security guards at the facility I used to work at. Nice guy, very blunt.” Alex turned back to the computer, “What else did you find?”<br/>“There was a military base in Hope that was doing the experiments in secret. They told the families that lived on base that it was to test our defenses in case of a nuclear fallout. They were developing this thing for a while before they ran their first test on chimpanzees, and look,” I pointed the results to Alex, “It was a success.” Alex nodded, and then clicked on the next document. His eyes narrowed, “Let me guess, the scientists were thrilled by the chimp results so they moved on to humans.”<br/>I nodded, “That’s where it went wrong. They injected the whole town with the sample and it sounds like no one complained. Hell, it’s like everyone rolled up their sleeves and took it with a smile. Anyway, nothing happened for about a year. Suddenly there was this baby boom and everything happened.”</p>
<p>Alex sighed, “And that’s it?” I nodded, “Those documents I mentioned that are all black lines? Those are the final pages. Everything after the baby boom is erased.” Alex stood up and folded his arms, frowning at the documents. “So we got nothing?” I smiled at him waving my notes, “Not nothing. We have a compelling argument to get us that sample.” He stares at me curiously, “How?” <br/>I turn and walk out of the room, Alex walking close behind, “How Gwen?” He asked as we entered his office. I motioned for him to sit down, “Call McMullen.” He narrowed his eyes at me, “How Gwen. We don’t even know if we can successfully stabilize the sample.”<br/>I leaned in close to Alex, my hand resting against the top of his chair, our eyes focused on one another. “There is a 1.2 percent genetic difference between humans and chimpanzees. A 1.2 percent difference that the Hope scientists did not take into account before administering the sample to humans. Something our little Rhinovirus friend can fix.” <br/>Alex stared at me, the wheels in his head turning. I watched as those stormy grey eyes slowly expressed realization and he whispered, “We can work with that.” I nodded and stood back up. Alex turned and began typing away at his computer.<br/>Alex requested a Skype call and soon we were greeted by a tired Dr. McMullen.</p>
<p>“Dr. Mercer……..and Dr.Graveston? To what do I owe this pleasure so early in the morning?” </p>
<p>“Apologies Dr.McMullen,” I said first, “But we have something we would like to discuss with you.” Alex nodded, “Dr.Graveston and I have had a breakthrough and well,” Alex glanced at me, “You may not like what we need.”  </p>
<p>McMullen sighed before waving a hand, “Well let's hear it.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Day 11 of the Outbreak; Manhattan’s infection population: 68% and rising</strong>
</p>
<p>“How is she?” I asked. Ragland stopped what he was doing and glanced over at me. I was holding on to Dana’s hand while gentle stroking her hair. Her breath was low but thankfully continuous so that she wouldn't need a machine to assist her.<br/>“Unchanged. She has no major injuries, just a few bruises. I’m surprised with how gently they treated her.” I nodded. Looking back at Dana, I felt an overwhelming sadness hit me. The last time I saw her she was screaming. Fearing for her life and begging us to help her. “He blames himself.” I muttered.<br/>Ragland sighed, “He couldn’t have known. From what I gathered it all happened very fast. Could have been you or Dana.” I didn’t answer him at first, I knew better. Elizabeth knew what she was doing. “I blame myself,” I whispered. And he laughed, “We are human my dear. There is not much we can do.” Glancing up, I saw Ragland back at work. <em>“Keep thinking’ that doc.”</em> I thought.</p>
<p>Gently letting go of Dana’s hand, I walked over to Ragland, “What are you working on now?” I asked. Ragland had a sample from Alex’s body and some type of red gas in a box. “I’m not really sure.” He said, taking a small piece of the sample and opening the box. The minute Ragland opened the box I felt nauseated. Quickly covering my nose, I watched as he dropped the tissue in and closed the box. We watched as the tissue began to spuzzum violently before growing still. We waited for a minute but still, no movement. “What the hell is that?” I demanded. <br/>Ragland shook his head in disbelief, “I believe this is Blackwatch’s answer to subdue Mercer.” <br/>“What?”<br/>“Bloodtox. That’s what they called it.” He rolled over to his computer and motioned to an email, “It was sent to me by a colleague; he wanted a second opinion.” <br/>“Well, it killed a small sample. I would say it works.” I retorted, “Are they mass producing this already?” I inquired. Ragland shook his head, “I’m not sure.”</p>
<p>“Fuck.” I growled. Stomping over to a counter, I grabbed my sheaths and strapped it to my thigh. “Where are you going?” Ragland asked. Putting on my coat, I turned back to him, “If they are already mass producing that stuff then they could be leading Alex into a trap.” <br/>“Cross could be leading him into a trap.” I thought angrily. Before leaving, Alex told me that Cross was going to call this morning and asked me to stay with Dana in case anything happened. That was the last I heard from him.<br/>“Someone needs to warn him.” I yelled heading for the doors. </p>
<p>Pushing through the doors, I started down the long basement hallway thinking of the best places to go. Once I rounded a corner, I smacked into another person, “Oh, excuse m-”<br/>The figure slumped onto me, I barely caught them in time before the disgusting scent of the bloodtox gas hit me. There was a deep urge to recoil and get as far away as I could but something stopped me. I felt myself relax, the gas was still awful, but there was something about the person. “Alex?” <br/>No answer. All I heard was ragged breathing.<br/>Leaning down, I rested my face against their hair and took a deep breath in. “There!” My mind exclaimed. Deep under the gas was a scent I knew and loved. “Alex.” I sighed in relief. I felt Alex slowly wrap his arms around me and walked us backwards. My back hit a wall and slowly, we lowered to the ground.        <br/>“Breath darling, breath.” I murmured gently stroking him. Alex shuffled closer, burying his head in my neck and took a deep breath in. “Harlem.” Alex gasped. <br/>“In Harlem…...there is…...a plant.” I shook my head, “I knew it.” <br/>“Bloodtox?” <br/>He glanced up at me with an inquisitive stare, I hugged him tight, “Just found out about it from Ragland. I was leaving to go find you. I’m so sorry Alex.” He nodded and settled back down.</p>
<p>We laid there for a few minutes. Alex finally getting his breathing under control and the smell of the bloodtox slowly dissipates. He told me about the plant and Blackwatch’s new ‘super soldiers’. Those were going to be a little more difficult to deal with. <em>“But it's nothing we can’t handle.”</em> I thought.  <br/>“You still stink.” I teased him, carding my hand through his hair, “Almost didn’t recognize you. Even when you fell right on top of me. How bad was it?”<br/>I felt him stutter and his grip tighten, “I know breathing isn’t really a necessity anymore but, fuck Gwen.” I felt him move his body so that his knees rested on the floor between my legs. He wrapped one arm around my waist and brought us chest to chest and cupped my head to rest his forehead against mine. I felt him stutter again, “There was nothing at first. Then they got me in a room and it was everywhere.” I brought my hands up to cradle his face.<br/>“It was suffocating. My whole body felt like it was on fire.”<br/>“Alex breath.”<br/>“Even when I finally got outside the air was thick with it!”<br/>“Alex.”<br/>“I felt like I was going crazy. I was--”<br/>“Alex!”<br/>He stopped and stared at me, “Breath.” I pleaded. I opened my mouth, took in as much air as I could and slowly breathed out. I did this a couple of times and encouraged him to do the same. <br/>Alex stared at me for a few seconds, analyzing me and then copying me. I watched as he began to calm down. His body, once tense and shaking, slowly beginning to settle and slowly relax. Alex let my body rest against the wall, then leaned forward and rested his head against my collar bone, “Thanks.” He murmured. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders to pull him in closer, “Any time darling.” </p>
<p>I let myself relax, letting my body shift and morph. Long, sleek, black, and red tentacles protruded from my back and began to wrap around Alex and I. Lifting my hand I watched as my nails grew into sharp claws. Gently raking my nails through his hair, I purred as Alex started to fall into a restful state. </p>
<p>“Any time.” I whispered.</p>
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<a name="section0007"><h2>7. A theory</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><strong>1 year before: 2007</strong> </p>
<p>“I don’t like this.” I muttered. Alex snorted, his eyes shifting nervously, “You and me both.” We glanced around at all the scientists and board members in the lab. It's been two weeks since Alex and I’s epiphany and convinced McMullen to go to Blackwatch. To say he was concerned was an understatement; he almost ended the call. <br/>With a little persuasion, we had finally received permission to work with the sample. However, in order to work with the sample, we had to follow restrictions. One of them was that we had to stay in the lab for the next twenty-four hours to prove that we could stabilize the sample. Twenty-four hours with armed personnel. Many of us were not happy. </p>
<p><em>“Such is the price for knowledge.”</em> I thought irritably. Alex had picked a select few from his team while I brought my team, except Rebecca, to come and help. I had Rebecca stay home so that she wouldn’t be stuck here on her feet all day. <br/>Alex and I had been going back and forth discussing the best way to quickly stabilize the sample. The faster we stabilize the sample the faster we don’t have to deal with all the people in the lab. With the combined efforts from our teams, we managed to produce a synthesis that will, in a way, cool the sample down. One thing Alex and I noticed, is that the core of the sample regulates its own heat much like the human body. Bringing the temperature down, as well as a few other compounds, should stabilize the sample.</p>
<p>I glanced over and saw a blonde woman smiling sweetly at a few of the board members. I groaned, “Is she still wanting us to go slowly and make this a show for everyone?” I asked Alex. He looked over as well and scoffed, “Yes. Told me that it would reflect badly on us if we rush this.”<br/>“It would reflect badly if we didn’t have at least something after two weeks.”</p>
<p> “My thoughts exactly.”</p>
<p>I smirked, watching as the woman discovered Alex and I staring at her and ended her conversation. She scooted back a little and fixed herself to appear professional and aloft. The woman, Karen Parker, was a brilliant scientist. However, she had this annoying habit of wanting to please everyone; and to be honest was a little wishy-washy. I’ve had a few interactions with her and was quite surprised when Alex told me that she was his ex.</p>
<p>
  <em>“Can I not be in a relationship?” Alex inquired. I stared at him in bewilderment, Karen was his ex? The woman I just met seemed very…...banal. She was pretty and clearly held enough intelligence to be on the project but her personality had much to be desired. A sociable individual, but I could see a small spark of disinterest in her eyes.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Clever but only looking out for herself.” I remember thinking while I shook her hand. People like that were normally boring and easy to read. I closed my mouth and shook my head, “No, it’s perfectly acceptable to be in a relationship.”<br/>“Was in a relationship. And if it’s acceptable why are you surprised?” He asked with a raised brow and a touch of curiosity in his voice. I shrugged, “Sorry, didn’t mean to look so shocked. It’s just that I thought she would be different.” Alex stared at me, slowly putting his chip-board down on the table, and then braced his hands on the edge. I stared back. I took notice of his posture, ridged and cautious.<br/>“And what do you mean by that?” Alex demanded. I continued to stare at him, what the hell was his problem? </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“I thought she would have been more interesting.” My answer had an immediate reaction. Alex now looked calm but he still had a curious look, “How so?” Walking over to our heating chemicals, I jotted down some notes and turned back to him, “She’s too easy to read. Smart, selfish, a bit wishy-washy. She will please whoever she can if it will benefit her. People like that are boring.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Boring?” Alex stated amused, there was a small smile playing on his lips. I nodded, “Yes, boring. I thought you would have found someone interesting.” He picked up his board and joined me, “And how would you define an interesting person?” <br/>“Simple. Someone you can't figure out, someone who keeps surprising you for years. That person that can keep you on your toes, make your life interesting, and who seems to understand you without knowing it themselves.”<br/>Alex frowned, “That doesn’t sound very simple.” I laughed, “Okay that’s fair, but that’s the only way I know how to describe it. Do you understand what I’m getting at?” He nodded, “I do. It actually describes why I broke up with Karen. She wasn’t,” He paused, “Interesting anymore.” </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“It’s like that sometimes.” I affirmed, “Anyway, what do you think of these results?”</em>
</p>
<p>I snapped back into reality when there was a rough jab to my side. I shot Alex a look, he shrugged, “Chatter is picking up.” Glancing around, I noticed that a few soldiers begin to whisper among one another. One was talking on a radio. I strained to listen but all I could hear was distant gargling. <br/>Alex leaned over, “Did you get any of that?” I shook my head, “Nothing. But,” </p>
<p>Leaning back a little I peered out of the lab’s window, “There are no cars, no tanks, and no biohazard trucks outside.” Alex raised a brow at me.</p>
<p>“Ladies and gentleman,” We looked over. The guard that had been talking on the radio spoke up, “The team will be arriving in five minutes. Remember you are not allowed to leave until the sample is stabilized or until your twenty-four hours are up.” The guard went back to one of the other members. Our teams began to take their places in the lab, Alex leaned over, “What are you thinking?” Glancing up at him I motioned to the elevator, “Where is the sample coming from?” <br/>We turned to watch as the elevator’s lights began blinking down. “They’re coming from a floor above.” He whispered, I nodded.</p>
<p>“They could have brought it earlier.” Alex theorized.</p>
<p>“We’ve been here all morning. We would have seen them.”</p>
<p>He huffed but gave a slight nod in affirmation. The elevator signaled it’s arrival and the doors flew open to reveal Dr. McMullen and four Blackwatch officials. One was holding a clear stronghold box. The five men exited the elevator and briskly made their way down the hall towards us. <br/>Dr. McMullen spoke up first, “General Randall, may I present our two leading minds on this project. Dr. Mercer and Dr. Graveston.”<br/>The man, Randall, gave Alex and I a once over before snorting, “You two were the ones who called and made this ludicrous idea.” Randall handed the box over to another official and then proceeded to stomp over and get right in Alex’s face, “This plan of yours better work, or I’ll pull the plug on this so quick, your heads gonna spin.” Alex narrowed his eyes at the man, “I can assure you that Dr. Graveston and I have come up with a solution to stabilize your sample. Dr. Parker will explain more while we work.” Alex nodded to Parker. With a smile, the woman gathered all the officials together and began explaining our process.</p>
<p>I grabbed the box from the official and brought it over to the table. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a guard close and lock the lab door, while the others shifted closer to us at the table. Ignoring them, I took note of the box. Inside was a small vial of what looked like blood. <br/>“No. Not blood.” I realized, taking a closer look. The liquid was red and black. Two colors blended together but never mixing. To be honest it was-</p>
<p>“Beautiful.” </p>
<p>Startled, I turned my head to the voice. Right next to me was Alex, staring at the liquid with a look of wonder and curiosity. He had a small smile on his lips. He almost looked like a child on Christmas. Smiling, I nudged him.<br/>Alex’s head snapped to me, “Well?” I asked and he just stared at me. Rolling my eyes I elaborated, “What are we waiting for? Let's play.” Almost instantly there was a change in Alex’s demeanor. Gone was the wonder and child-like innocence, now there was a cocky smirk on his lips and a glint in his eyes that held fiery determination. “Agreed. The faster we do this the faster we are left alone.” Alex murmured. Nodding I quickly turned away and walked over to Claudia, hopefully masking my internal turmoil. Seeing that instant switch in Mercer did something to me. My stomach was in knots and my heart was beating at an alarming rate. <em>“Stop it.”</em> I thought, <em>“It’s time to focus.”</em> My mind instantly thought of those intense and determined grey eyes. “Not on that.” I growled to myself. Claudia shot me a concerned glance and I waved on off. “Is everything ready?” I asked. </p>
<p>With a nod, Claudia handed me a pair of goggles and a mask, “Si. Tyler is heating up the synthesis now. You and Dr.Mercer have a minute to poke around and make sure we were correct on our assumptions.” I chuckled, “Worried?” <br/>Claudia hummed, “I would just like to let you know that I have a date tonight.” Smiling, I shook my head at her, “Duly noted. You don’t trust our work?” Claudia laughed, “No, but I know how you and Dr. Mercer have been recently. You two would live here if you could.” She teased. <br/>Ignoring that last comment, I tsked, “Shut up and don’t worry. Mercer and I are just gonna poke around for a second, make sure all of our theories were correct and apply the synthesis. So an hour tops and we’ll get rid of all the suits and guns.” Claudia nodded. Putting on my mask and goggles, I walked back over to where Alex was waiting. The box had now been placed inside of a glovebox. Alex glanced at me, “Ready?” I nodded and scooted in closer to see everything. </p>
<p>Alex slid his hands into the rubber gloves and carefully began to open the box. There was a small pop as the lid came off and Alex and I visibly stilled. “Did you see it?” He asked. Not wanting to alarm anyone or take my eyes off the sample I placed my hand on Alex’s arm and squeezed in confirmation. At the sound of the pop, the sample moved. There had been no movement, no jilt to the box, and the sample was still in its vial. It had no air flow. So why had it moved?<br/>Alex continued, setting the lid off to the side and slowly picking up the vial. </p>
<p>All eyes were on us now. With a sigh I heard Alex murmur a very quite ‘fuck it’, and twisted off the lid. </p>
<p>The sample did not move. Alex and I waited, with bated breath, but the sample did not move. I leaned in closer, “I’m not crazy and neither are you.” I said to Alex, “We saw it-”<br/>All of a sudden the sample exploded. Thin strands of red and black shot out and stuck to the sides of the box in all directions. Two thicker strands were now wrapped securely around Alex’s wrists with no chance of pulling out of the box.</p>
<p>That’s when all hell broke loose.</p>
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